Practice Two
Real Presbyteries Develop Leaders
The focus of real presbyteries is on developing leaders.
Rather than seeking to do everything for congregations and to keep congregations dependent on the presbytery, the real presbytery seeks to develop the capacity of pastors, other clergy, church staff and lay leadership to soar from the base of their spiritual gifts in their ability to help their congregations journey in the direction oft heir full kingdom potential.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Practice One
Practice One
Real Presbyteries Serve Congregations
The focus of real presbyteries is on serving congregations.
Numerous observers indicate that we live in a time of the ascent of congregations (i.e., First Presbyterian Church of My Town) and descent of denominations (i.e., The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
If this is true the response of the real presbytery must be to focus on congregations as the basic building block of denominational life.
Real Presbyteries Serve Congregations
The focus of real presbyteries is on serving congregations.
Numerous observers indicate that we live in a time of the ascent of congregations (i.e., First Presbyterian Church of My Town) and descent of denominations (i.e., The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
If this is true the response of the real presbytery must be to focus on congregations as the basic building block of denominational life.
Monday, July 12, 2010
an introduction to MVP's 50 days of prayer
Welcome to a Season of Prayer sponsored by Muskingum Valley Presbytery! This intentional time of prayer and sharing launches the spiritual strategic journey that our presbytery is undertaking with the guidance of our consultant, Dr. George W. Bullard, Jr. of the Columbia Partnership in Columbia, SC.
If you did not meet Dr. Bullard when he visited our presbytery in March, you will want to know more about the journey upon which we are embarking. in his words,
"...a spiritual strategic journey establishes enough infrastructure and details to point a presbytery in an effective direction. It frees a movement of people from its current location and allows it to soar in the direction of a new location toward which God is pulling it."
A spiritual strategic journey is spiritual: it assumes total reliance on God as individuals and a as a presbytery - unless the journey is of God, it is empty and meaningless.
A spiritual strategic journey is strategic: its focus is on the goals and actions that will make the most significant difference in the ability of a presbytery to serve within God's kingdom.
A spiritual strategic journey is a journey: for followers of Jesus participants in the life and work of a presbytery, the destination is ever ahead in the pursuit of ever-deepening maturity in faith and service.
Why don't we just appoint a special committee with the task of developing a strategic plan for Muskingum Valley Presbytery for the next 10 years? That might work well in a business model where the owners or board of directors decide to set goals and objectives for the next decade.
But Muskingum Valley Presbytery is not a business. Our Book of Order describes a presbytery as "...a corporate expression of the church consisting of all the churches and ministers of the Word and Sacrament within a certain district..." [G-11.0100]. The church is "(t)he Church of Jesus Christ... the provisional demonstration of what God intends for all humanity" [G-3.0200] While a business plans to achieve higher market share and better profit margins, a presbytery pursues what Dr. Bullard calls its full kingdom potential: what is the future toward which God is pulling that group of clergy, lay people and professional staff? How can Muskingum Valley Presbytery become a "pursuing presbytery"?
We start with prayer. And that is where you and your prayer group become an absolutely essential part of our presbytery's spiritual strategic journey.
What are the desired results of this period of intentional prayer and sharing?
First, you and your prayer partners will grow closer together and become more involved in Muskingum Valley Presbytery's journey and more open to God moving through our presbytery.
Second, you and your prayer partners will become aware that God is "up to something" in Muskingum Valley Presbytery and is calling us to respond.
Third, you and your prayer partners will develop what Dr. Bullard describes as a "sense of passionate urgency and spiritual readiness" for whatever new thing God is doing in Muskingum Valley Presbytery.
Finally, you and your prayer partners will be able to name changes that have to occur within Muskingum Valley Presbytery and you will be committed to move ahead with those changes.
Surely this sounds like a tall order for a period of prayer and sharing for 50 days! But don't forget - it is God who call us into the future... we follow the Risen Christ... we rely on the Spirit for guidance and support!
We pray and share in faith that God will be at work in this period of prayer and sharing and that we may well be surprised by the results.
This is an intentional period of prayer and sharing. One of the "Seven Practices of Presbytery Greatness" identified by Dr. Bullard will be your focus each week of the 50 day period. These practices are described in detail here.
As you begin each week, please take some time to rank how you rate Muskingum Valley Presbytery on that week's practice. These rankings are very important and will allow us to compile a composite portrait of Muskingum Valley Presbytery today, as perceived by our prayer partners.
Beginning on July 18th, for a period of 7 weeks, you are asked to focus your personal meditation and prayer weekly on one of the 7 practices of presbytery greatness identified by Dr. Bullard and described in detail each week on this blog, as well as in your booklet.
You are also asked to meet as a group weekly, at a convenient time and location, to pray for each other, to pray for Muskingum Valley Presbytery and to share your insights, concerns, hopes, questions, and suggestions about the "practice of presbytery greatness" for that week.
We encourage you to meet in person at a location of your choosing - in each other's home, at nearby church, at the MVP office in New Philadelphia. You can also meet by telephone or teleconference, using SKYPE or other technology. However, we hope that you will have face-to-face meetings most weeks so that you can develop deep connections with each other.
You are asked to use the journal pages that follow the description of each practice to record your thoughts and reflections as you pray and meditate on your own as well as insights, ideas, concerns and questions that emerge during your weekly conversations with each other. Please choose one of your prayer group who will forward this data each week to Erin Yoder at the Muskingum Valley Presbytery office: Erin@MVPJourneyingwithJesus.org. Also, feel free to share ideas in the comment section after each week's blog.
We understand that summer vacations and other personal obligations may require some of you to adjust your meeting schedules. We do not want this 50 day season of prayer and conversation to be a burden. Rather, please approach this time as a holy time of opportunity for yourself, for your prayer partners and for Muskingum Valley Presbytery. We ask you to be open to the movement of the Spirit as God calls us all into the future. May each of you be richly blessed as you participate in this season of prayer for each other and for Muskingum Valley Presbytery!
If you did not meet Dr. Bullard when he visited our presbytery in March, you will want to know more about the journey upon which we are embarking. in his words,
"...a spiritual strategic journey establishes enough infrastructure and details to point a presbytery in an effective direction. It frees a movement of people from its current location and allows it to soar in the direction of a new location toward which God is pulling it."
A spiritual strategic journey is spiritual: it assumes total reliance on God as individuals and a as a presbytery - unless the journey is of God, it is empty and meaningless.
A spiritual strategic journey is strategic: its focus is on the goals and actions that will make the most significant difference in the ability of a presbytery to serve within God's kingdom.
A spiritual strategic journey is a journey: for followers of Jesus participants in the life and work of a presbytery, the destination is ever ahead in the pursuit of ever-deepening maturity in faith and service.
Why don't we just appoint a special committee with the task of developing a strategic plan for Muskingum Valley Presbytery for the next 10 years? That might work well in a business model where the owners or board of directors decide to set goals and objectives for the next decade.
But Muskingum Valley Presbytery is not a business. Our Book of Order describes a presbytery as "...a corporate expression of the church consisting of all the churches and ministers of the Word and Sacrament within a certain district..." [G-11.0100]. The church is "(t)he Church of Jesus Christ... the provisional demonstration of what God intends for all humanity" [G-3.0200] While a business plans to achieve higher market share and better profit margins, a presbytery pursues what Dr. Bullard calls its full kingdom potential: what is the future toward which God is pulling that group of clergy, lay people and professional staff? How can Muskingum Valley Presbytery become a "pursuing presbytery"?
We start with prayer. And that is where you and your prayer group become an absolutely essential part of our presbytery's spiritual strategic journey.
What are the desired results of this period of intentional prayer and sharing?
First, you and your prayer partners will grow closer together and become more involved in Muskingum Valley Presbytery's journey and more open to God moving through our presbytery.
Second, you and your prayer partners will become aware that God is "up to something" in Muskingum Valley Presbytery and is calling us to respond.
Third, you and your prayer partners will develop what Dr. Bullard describes as a "sense of passionate urgency and spiritual readiness" for whatever new thing God is doing in Muskingum Valley Presbytery.
Finally, you and your prayer partners will be able to name changes that have to occur within Muskingum Valley Presbytery and you will be committed to move ahead with those changes.
Surely this sounds like a tall order for a period of prayer and sharing for 50 days! But don't forget - it is God who call us into the future... we follow the Risen Christ... we rely on the Spirit for guidance and support!
We pray and share in faith that God will be at work in this period of prayer and sharing and that we may well be surprised by the results.
This is an intentional period of prayer and sharing. One of the "Seven Practices of Presbytery Greatness" identified by Dr. Bullard will be your focus each week of the 50 day period. These practices are described in detail here.
As you begin each week, please take some time to rank how you rate Muskingum Valley Presbytery on that week's practice. These rankings are very important and will allow us to compile a composite portrait of Muskingum Valley Presbytery today, as perceived by our prayer partners.
Beginning on July 18th, for a period of 7 weeks, you are asked to focus your personal meditation and prayer weekly on one of the 7 practices of presbytery greatness identified by Dr. Bullard and described in detail each week on this blog, as well as in your booklet.
You are also asked to meet as a group weekly, at a convenient time and location, to pray for each other, to pray for Muskingum Valley Presbytery and to share your insights, concerns, hopes, questions, and suggestions about the "practice of presbytery greatness" for that week.
We encourage you to meet in person at a location of your choosing - in each other's home, at nearby church, at the MVP office in New Philadelphia. You can also meet by telephone or teleconference, using SKYPE or other technology. However, we hope that you will have face-to-face meetings most weeks so that you can develop deep connections with each other.
You are asked to use the journal pages that follow the description of each practice to record your thoughts and reflections as you pray and meditate on your own as well as insights, ideas, concerns and questions that emerge during your weekly conversations with each other. Please choose one of your prayer group who will forward this data each week to Erin Yoder at the Muskingum Valley Presbytery office: Erin@MVPJourneyingwithJesus.org. Also, feel free to share ideas in the comment section after each week's blog.
We understand that summer vacations and other personal obligations may require some of you to adjust your meeting schedules. We do not want this 50 day season of prayer and conversation to be a burden. Rather, please approach this time as a holy time of opportunity for yourself, for your prayer partners and for Muskingum Valley Presbytery. We ask you to be open to the movement of the Spirit as God calls us all into the future. May each of you be richly blessed as you participate in this season of prayer for each other and for Muskingum Valley Presbytery!
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